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Forensic Pathology & Death Investigations in Pima County. Green Valley Council. Gregory L. Hess, MD Chief Medical Examiner Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner. Overview. Purpose of it all Brief history of death investigation Coroner, Medical Examiner, Forensic Pathologist
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Forensic Pathology & Death Investigations in Pima County Green Valley Council Gregory L. Hess, MD Chief Medical Examiner Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner
Overview • Purpose of it all • Brief history of death investigation • Coroner, Medical Examiner, Forensic Pathologist • Death investigation systems • Arizona death investigation • Pima County • Office specifics • Types of death
Purpose of the Medical Examiner’s Office • Determines cause and manner of death of decedents that fall under jurisdiction of ME • Aid justice system • Collect evidence • Testify • Interpret injury • Estimate postmortem interval • Assist both prosecution and defense
Purpose of the Medical Examiner’s Office • Public health • Report deaths due to communicable disease • Authorize cremation • Tissue and organ donation • Vital statistics • Assist families • Answer questions • Timely death certification for funeral arrangements
Medical Examiner Jurisdiction • No doctor available to sign death certificate • Violence • Sudden and unexpected • Threat to public health • Prisoner or in a prison • Suspicious, unusual, unnatural • Related to occupation • Related to medical procedure • Unidentified
What’s The Difference? • Coroner • Forensic Pathologist • Medical Examiner
Coroner • Often elected, term limit • Qualification specified by local law • May not have any medical background • Concept from England • Minimal practical modern use
Forensic Pathologist • Physician (pathologist) • Additional training in forensics • Work in larger population centers • Criminal case work and testimony • Pima County runs a Forensic Pathologist managed death investigation system • No coroners in Arizona, only ME’s and alternate ME’s
Medical Examiner • Often appointed by government without term limit • Often a physician (can be any kind) • May be appointed non-physician • May not be a Forensic Pathologist • Non-Forensic Pathologist medical examiner’s in AZ are called ‘alternate medical examiner’s’ by statute
Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (PCOME) • Construction completed in 1989 • Renovated 2003-2005 • Staff of 33 • Storage capacity of 262 full remains • ~150 remains currently on location to include skeletal remains
PCOME • Nationally accredited, one of 75 in US, only accredited office in AZ • Post-doctoral fellowship in Forensic Anthropology, only such program in US • ~60% of operating budget covered by revenue • Lowest per capita cost for death investigation (>200,000) in AZ
